if you were to hear injured. in a magician suit who then went behind the curtain. came out having first read of the ballots to tell you one would you trust that process in the land of free and fair elections not all ballots are created equal a system full of old technology and faulty paper trail have put a dark cloud over the way voting is conducted in many parts of this country with a presidential election right around the corner we'll take a critical look at the process. plus do you ever get overwhelmed by all the release forms doctors make you sign before a check up well you might want to take

a closer look at what you're putting your john hancock on before you agree turns out the members of one of florida sheriff's department are trying to break through a doctor patient privilege with cleverly worded release forms. and for years there's been a skepticism and speculation surrounding scientology and the people that become members of the church but this is one group that has its dark secrets coming up a behind the scenes look at the fact and fiction surrounding this elusive religion . it's friday october fifth eight pm in washington d.c. i'm christine joy watching our. let's begin with the breaking news out of ohio tonight a federal appeals court there has unanimously affirmed a lower court's decision striking down a state law that sought to limit early voting the court sided with the obama administration which argued that low income and minority voters were

disproportionately affected by the law which eliminated certain early voting days now changes in early voting voter id changes and other laws all signed by republican governors have been popping up in many battleground states but it's not just these laws that have the potential to change the democratic process there's also technology those voting machines that give you no indication or proof that your vote was actually counted are to correspond honest takes a deeper look. the u.s. a beacon of democracy and an example to be followed by the rest of the world to one big source of pride is its fundamental concept of free and fair election american elections are a disgrace it's like looking into the kitchen of a first class restaurant and losing your appetite it what you see because we have an election system a voting system that is completely nontransparent an opinion shared by many political experts and educators if you were to hand your man in

a magician suit and went behind the curtain came out having first shredded the ballots to go and you won would you trust that process just write it and that's process largely to blame as the outdated l trying to hold on to in the states where all they have this electronic voting it could be a real problem. if you don't have some other type of backup source to verify the vote count. and it could be a problem read friedman as an independent award winning blogger who has covered the us election system for years he calls the problem a pandemic and says change is long overdue every single state in the union uses electronic voting a third of the voters this year will vote on one hundred percent on verifiable touch screen voting system electronic voting to. the rest of of the country by a large will vote on paper ballots but those paper ballots are also counted by

electronic systems unless you can see inside a computer there's no way to know if those computers that tallied those ballots correctly several experiments conducted on electronic voting machines have proven that simple keystrokes and some knowledge of science and computers could flip results the circuitry inside the machine will clear the incorrect in numbers insert the corrected numbers experts say the accuracy of the vote count even with paper trail is a myth in the ninety nine percent. percent of the cases those ballots never see the light of day they're never examined never recount there is basically american elections that the stories have virtually zero playing on public confidence and which intimacy the rules in specification of how lections are held very locally and state by state four thousand different counties each of them use a different type of system a different type of voting system each of them have different laws different vulnerabilities one particular company that makes electronic voting machines in the

u.s. has earned a dubious reputation for unverifiable results as records vanish into thin air i go to an a.t.m. and it's a debug machine i get a confirmation slip and i go around the corner to vote and i you know make my vote and there's no record of people that other voting machine production companies are also known to have strong partisan affiliation they are not accountable to any voters. they are not just private but but private and extreme in their political sympathies democrats don't actually win that many elections to be precise democrats almost never win close elections. and the trick therefore is to see to it that a race is or looks close improving the election process in this digital age doesn't appear to be on anyone's agenda including barack obama's our president who won't talk ever about election fraud and denies that it has ever happened even when you know members of his own party have been the victims of it and while the number of

reported flaws grows with each passing election over the past decade since two thousand when i think congress was pretending to want to make things better what has happened is things have gotten much much worse it appears stealing an election in the us maybe a candidate certain way to secure when it's easy as one two three in this digital age of smartphones tablets and satellite navigation systems american voters will head to the polls this november to cast their ballots using antiquated and unreliable voting machines machines that will ultimately determine who will lead this nation in much need of its own repairs as they see a truck in a pretty new york we want to talk more about technology truth and long term outlook implications here i was joined earlier by howard university political science professor wilmer leon and also the head of vulnerability asked that team at argonne national lab in chicago roger johnston to explain why the election system is so

outdated. we do have the technology available to to make this very simple receipts other types of digital documentation in terms of both that is cast but one of the from a policy perspective i think one of the big misnomer is that people have in this country is that we have a national election we really don't we have fifty different state elections plus the american protectorates such as puerto rico and the virgin islands and what not so with that in state law tends to dictate what apparatuses or what technologies are going to be used in particular states instead of there being federal standards and federal oversight it's left up to the states this was one of the things in terms of the federalism process or type of government that we have where power is left with the states. that's one of the areas that the states still have control over it's so interesting i was at the republican national convention recently and

the primary process is the same way every state is different i think that confuses a whole lot of people and makes the process much more difficult absolutely roger i know last year your organization came out with some results from a study a computer science and security experts at argonne found some of these machines especially these deeble machines could be hacked into changing the results talk a little bit about the findings and if anything's been done since this information came out. well our view is that people previously looking at the security of voting machines had largely been computer scientists cyber hackers and while we agreed that the attacks they demonstrated were certainly viable we thought they were simpler attacks attacks are harder to spot and attacks that are potentially even more difficult to deal with so we demonstrated on a couple different kinds of voting machines this. physical type of attack which is actually takes less skill than some of the cyber attacks yet really interesting

and as honest as i mentioned as most of most of you know at home most machines that are used are these deep old machines now public records have shown this for years that this company deep old has given hundreds of thousands maybe even millions of dollars at this point to conservative candidates and causes these are machines used by a third of voters what do you think the president i mean is it possible that there's a conflict of interest here oh there is it's not possible there is a conflict of interest in fact it's not only a matter of cyber hacking it's a matter of machines arriving at the polling place with thousands of votes already loaded in them before the polls even open and then we also have that mark mr miller could have spoken to this we have a letter from the president of the bold to the secretary of state at the time of ohio stating that they will do everything in their power to prove to.

provide for the election going to the republican candidate and that was in two thousand or two thousand and four two thousand and four i think in two thousand and four so what is there evidence that these machines show up with with thousands of votes are even then you know me with a poll workers go to the poll and in turn the machine on and the machine as fifty thousand votes already registered in it. that's evidence that the machine came in the door with votes and so why is nothing being done about this i mean this is fraud and any way you. look at it this is this is fraud any way you look at it and i i think it there are a number of reasons one has to do with the the the contributions that makes to to various to the various parties and also because again it tends to be a state issue and is isn't viewed in the national context it doesn't get the people in wyoming probably have very little concern about what's happening with voting machines in ohio so it hasn't taken on the national importance that it should

let me ask you the same question roger i mean your organization has been sort of at the forefront of trying to deal with this issue. you know technologically and also sort of bigger picture here and why nothing's changing. well it's actually i think a number of issues there's a reliability of these machines that doesn't necessarily involve any attempt at fraud there are certainly many opportunities by both insiders and outsiders to chambre with us elections we sack that we have outdated voting machines is certainly an issue but i think a much larger one is simply the lack of a good security culture in many of our election jurisdictions we're just not thinking like the bad guys and being prepared for a variety of different kinds of attacks we certainly have seen problems on the both voting machines but to be fair i think there's similar kinds of vulnerabilities

associated with electronic voting machines made by other manufacturers as well and this is of course a good time to point out too we remember back in two thousand the hanging chads you know i always used to say well what about you know when i was in school we just took a test on those scan tron ballots and it took no time to run those through the machine get an accurate you know count of what bubbles were circled and which weren't but we i know we saw with the hit with the punch chad controversy back in florida that that was a really big issue so what's the answer here roger. well i personally think an optical scan ballot where you as a voter fill out a very large ballot and then you walk up to the machine and personally feed it in in theory is the ultimate way to go in terms of having better security i don't believe that's currently secure we have many many other kinds of problems but if i had to choose a voting method that needed to be secured i would much prefer the optical scan

approach than a touch screen or a push button machine or simply way more ways that the malicious adversary can attack these types of voting machines and you know as professor van mentioned you know the technology is there but the deal is this is it's a lot of money and when you talk about all the different polling places all around the country to update their equipment i want to speak a little bigger picture here i mean this has been a fascinating year in terms of steps being taken to change the way that we vote in this country i'm talking about voter i.d. laws changes in early voting new laws for those who have served time in prison and when they can or can't vote we've done quite a few stories on this and i should mention many of these laws that were signed by republican governors have been blocked by the courts but what do you think what's your take professor and i mean what's going on here well in terms of the voter id laws i've written on this i talk about this on this program is this is no more than an american coup d'etat this is the republican party trying to prevent legally

registered voters primarily voters who are minority who are elderly and who are disabled from getting access to the ballot and the reason is because the trend within those demographics tends to be they vote democratic and in an election such is this two thousand and two two thousand and twelve election where the margins just naturally were going to be narrow the logic is the more people that they can dismiss from the voter rolls increases the possibility that mitt romney and then other. republican candidates in congressional races as well as senate in other state local elections. i would win roger let me ask you something in the news report we showed one to one of the people interviewed said even president obama you know is not speaking out against this even though this is been something that's

affected people in his own party and any idea why you know people that you know you think would be speaking out are not well i'm just the security guy i'm not really a clinical analyst i would hope that having fair elections is something that really could be nonpartisan something that we all could get behind it's really it goes to the core of what this country in a democracy is really about one of the one person total fairness in the election your vote should actually count so i think i'm a little disappointed when it becomes a partisan issue we all want to get behind having honest elections you maybe just a security guy but that is that's a good answer i mean it does seem like something that everyone would want to be on the same page with and let me ask you professor and i know that the u.s. supreme court reconvene this week and one of the issues they're expected to take up is certain parts of the one nine hundred sixty five voting rights act. what what's

going to happen here unfortunately it doesn't look good for the sixty five voting rights act. and it doesn't look good for affirmative action and this is where those in this country who are wondering why it is important vote the supreme court in who a president has the ability to nominate to the supreme court is one of the lasting vestiges of any presidency and this is why again looking at the conservative shift on the court this is why it's important to understand who you're voting for to get out there and vote real quick we're almost out of time roger i just want to get your final take here in terms of security what should people know when they had to the polls in four and a half weeks. keep your eyes open if you see something that doesn't look right we speak go right professor wilmer leon professor at howard university and also roger johnson head of the viral vulnerability asset team at the argonne national lab lab

thanks guys so much my pleasure. let's talk now about a little known story out of florida it's pretty interesting that we turns out administrators with the sarasota county sheriff's office have done something unprecedented they're taking measures to try to give patients at hospitals and doctors offices to give up their constitutional right to privacy by having doctors slip in a form now you know how it goes you go to the doctor's office and you know especially if it's a new doctor there is a mountain of paperwork a lot of it is simple stuff fill out your name and date of birth a social security number and then there's you know how many drinks a week do you have and a list of questions about your medical history your family's medical history i was time you got to page seven or eight you just want to see the doctor so you just kind of get through those forms make sure you fill them out check the boxes read and sign. but this page that was reportedly added to this pile of paperwork for

many florida patients said this the undersigned knowingly in voluntarily agrees to the release of any and all protected health information for any and all purposes regardless of whether any particular purpose is mentioned including but not limited to all prescriptions including all drug dosage and quantity all notes regarding past present or future treatment or examination any record or document considered a medical record under florida or federal law. now most of you are fit familiar already with the federal medical privacy law called hipaa and this form makes hipaa no and void i mean a straight as we're hoping it would help them fight a rampant prescription drug epidemic by finding out which patients are getting prescribe which drugs mike riggs is an associate editor for reason magazine and joined me earlier to talk a little more about this the bigger picture here is that a year ago the office of national drug control policy under president obama lisa strategy for combating the procrit prescription drug epidemic one of the their

goals and they didn't spell it out to the extent that we're seeing in sarasota but one of their goals was to find ways for state and local law enforcement to get around what the administration called legislative and legal barriers to investigation one of these things are state laws local laws and also federal laws to protect patient privacy so i don't think that there's any push from washington but i think it did send a message to local law enforcement agencies go ahead and figure out what you can do to sort of speed up the process of an investigation if you get the sense that a local pharmacy is giving is selling too many are filling too many prescriptions for hydrocodone oxy coating you know they could take a while to get a subpoena it could take a while to get a warrant so they asked doctors fill out these forms that give these forms your patients basically signing away all their medical records so that a police officer could then come to a doctor and say you know for any patient who signed this form we would like their records you know so there but obviously doctors are saying no they're saying no

because they think about it's patient privacy but this also exposes doctors in a big way because then they're also going to be telling law enforcement what they've been doing in terms of medical treatment. and you know i should say there's actually not a lot but some support for what the sheriff's office is doing because what they're they say they're doing is they're trying to deal with i guess last year there were more than one hundred overdose deaths sarasota and manatee counties in florida so what they're trying to do is find out more about these patients who could possibly be breaking the law doing what's called doctor shopping getting ready to pull doctors to give them multiple prescriptions talk a little bit about this the fact that a lot of people are saying hey we think that this is a good thing that the sheriffs are doing that right i mean there are a lot of drug warriors and supporters of strict drug policy you think it's going to do this and i don't ever want to give the impression i think the that it's not a big deal that people are dying of overdose or that you have people driving under the influence of oxy code in this kind of stuff but the full push if you look at

the big picture you have the d.a. shutting down pharmacies you have the federal government saying that doctors who prescribe more than twenty pain medications a day and if you look at sarasota county it's got a lot of old people a lot of slip and fall accidents not to really get you know medical marijuana which can also be used to treat chronic pain is illegal in florida and in the majority of the united states so if you're looking at what can you prescribe someone who's got a broken hip or just had knee replacement surgery you're looking really at only heavy duty pharmaceutical such as hydrocodone and oxy contin these kinds of things so this pushes on two things one is made doctors terrified to their profession it is killing businesses by showing them pharmacies and it is preventing access to pain medication and i think when you look at this push like this is obviously the least bad thing this form in the sense that it's you know there is something very spurious about the fact that it doesn't say that it's for law enforcement purposes . that was my greg's associate editor of reason magazine. and now to the

shocking story of a police officer who thought he was above the law made all the more surprising by the found that he actually will face punishment many of you may have already seen this video was posted on r t dot com and elsewhere on the internet. that was lieutenant jonathan josey of the philadelphia police department sucker punching a woman named ida goose meant at the puerto rican day parade that last sunday lieutenant josie allegedly thought guzman had poured beer on him and the other officers and the other officers but the video shows that she had actually sprayed silly string after getting punched in the face guzmán was handcuffed and charged with disorderly conduct and once this video made the rounds guzman's charges were dropped and lieutenant josie and one thousand you're a veteran of the force was in hot water instead josie was given

a commendation in two thousand and ten for shooting someone who tried to hold up a convenience store though perhaps his greatest honor was being named one of the sexiest singles by the daily news in two thousand and six. he's happy days are over yesterday the police commissioner announced he would take direct action against the punch seen around the web effective thursday the ten josie was suspended for thirty days with the a ten intent to dismiss well this may come as a support or welcome surprise to the many who see police brutality without consequence the local for turner order of proposal is felt differently the union stood by the lieutenant and said that no official action should be taken until a thorough investigation takes place the commissioner about the video was sufficient evidence shows how recording can be a pretty powerful weapon. well they're going to lot of questions arising lately about scientology between tom cruise and katie holmes divorce and the new movie out

with philip seymour hoffman called the master which is said to be based on scientology and even just those scientologists on the street wanted to bring in more people just on my walk to work this evening i was handed this flyer it's a flyer promising to determine my i.q. and my personality and inviting me to determine my future no obligations it says no matter what the shroud of secrecy will remain but archie correspondent liz wahl was able to speak to some former scientologists who came forward with stories of their experiences in the church. a family tragedy shines a spotlight on a religion facing growing scrutiny little did i know. how the church of scientology would destroy my family turn my son against me let his body die in the mall deny me

a last look little did i. care until a carrier says when she left the church of scientology the church forced her son alexander jens to cut off ties with her to deny me one last look for fifteen seconds i begged off the hero director i said eyes only i won't tell the media let me have just fifteen private second is what my son she's seen in this video having her own memorial for her son dale a carrier left the church two years ago she was married to heber jentzsch the president of the church of scientology former members say gents' fell out of favor with the church leader and hasn't been seen since two thousand and four those we spoke to say he's in a place referred to as the whole place was really turned into an actual lockdown prison steve hall worked at the churches international headquarters alongside church leader david miscavige decided to leave in december of two thousand and

three after being assaulted and battered by david miscavige and also witnessing him physically beating his staff among other criminal actions he was brutal he hit people every day and before electrified according to some former members they were physically forbidden to leave church grounds jewellers offense going all the way around the property with razor wire so you can't climb over and if you do there are motion sensors and security lights that come on these are all allegations the church of a humanly denies when asked about the untimely death of alexander gents they declined to be interviewed but told r.t. in a letter quote misael a carrier chose to leave the church voluntarily she became an apostate for two more years she has been part of a small group of scientologists who methodically generate by. and disparaging statements about the church of scientology the allegation that the church prohibited miss della carrier from contacting alex is false and

a decision which alex made not to communicate with his mother was made by alex not the church the church has come under the spotlight after the high profile divorce between practicing scientologists tom cruise and katie holmes it's rumored holmes wanted out of the marriage in part to get her and her daughter away from scientology cruise a scene in this video making bold and bewildering claims about the religion being a scientologist when you drive past accident it's not like anyone else as you drive past you know you have to do something about it because you know you're the only one they can really help cruise isn't the only celebrity in the church in fact there's a scientology celebrity center that caters to them in los angeles here's heber jentz mingling with john travolta don't cruise and john travolta were treated like royalty like saudi king they didn't have a soul the doctor aside they were pampered some of thought to expose the alleged

wrongdoings within the church the hacktivist group anonymous launched this protest video back in two thousand and eight anonymous has therefore decided that she her organization should be destroyed for the good of your followers for the good of mankind and despite the controversy surrounding the church its website both the religion is growing faster today than any other time in history and welcomes four point four million new people each year something former church members find hard to believe we are scientologists who are speaking out because people are being harmed the church of scientology has blood on its head its former members turned whistle blowers in the church of scientology say there's recently been an activist of people out of the church they say more people are choosing to practice in the privately they say they still believe about. the loss of freedom of scientology just not in the institution or the way that it's run in fact the u.s. is just one of a handful of countries that fully recognizes the church of scientology other

countries don't recognize it at all or countries like france and chile consider it to be a holes in washington liz wall. that's going to do it for the news for tonight but be sure to tune in next week we've got a brand new lineup in store for you first up lawyers in new york are counting their lucky stars this year that's because lawsuits against the n.y.p.d. are up twenty eight percent from two thousand and eleven it's the latest example of a growing discontent with the police force and possible police misconduct and more lawsuits means more cash being squeezed out of a city that's running on a tight budget as it is next regards you will find out if this is a way to a quick payday or a law enforcement issue plaza we here at r.t. have told you about case counter cases where whistleblowers have been punished as a result of their truth seeking but one tipster in illinois was actually rewarded two million dollars for reporting a fraudulent tax shelter to the i.r.s. .